Imperishable Seed
We are people born again of a living hope received by the blood of Jesus that planted an imperishable seed of salvation in the soil of our hearts when we believed and is nurtured as we obey the truth of His word.
“Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, “because you are the son of another woman.” So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him. Some time later, when the Ammonites were fighting against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites.” Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now, when you’re in trouble?”
Judges 11:1-8, 12-17, 19-24, 26-32, 34-40
The law of reaping and sowing can never be broken. The seeds you plant will produce the harvest that you sow. This can be either a positive or a negative depending on what you sow. The percentages of people reading this devotion that grew up on a farm is likely pretty small. Jesus used the parables of the sower and agrarian stories to illustrate like in the kingdom of God. How much do you think about reaping and sowing? What is a more modern analogy? Perhaps something to do with investments of time and resources? The discipline you have of saving today will produce the provision of tomorrow. How you spend your time will have a direct correlation to the amount of purpose, peace, and prosperity that you will experience.
The story of Jephthah is one that tells an interesting tale of sowing and reaping. The family and friends of Jephthah sowed seeds of discord and animosity only to realize later how much they needed him to lead them into battle. Jephthah chooses to overlook the offense for the opportunity to lead the people and ultimately the grace he gives leads to how he is elevated within the community. One of the challenges of following Jesus is in his guidance on forgiveness. If people sow seeds of offense, do we respond with hatred or love? Jesus says that we to be free of offense and learn what it is to be holy. Do you have any offense in your heart? Have you ever had anyone treat you like Jephthah was treated? How do you feel about that person?
“Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor. In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more. For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory."
Psalms 72:1-2, 4, 7, 12-13, 18-19
David describes what a life that pleases God resembles. A righteous life sows seeds of righteousness. David asks for the ability to administer justice as God would. He knows that the people who are most vulnerable to injustice are the ones that need the most help. He says he will defend the afflicted, help not just the needy but the children of the needy, and he will help the weak. What does it say about God that these are the people who He consistently invites us to care for with how we can bring justice?
One aspect of the holiness of God is that He is not partial in who He loves. The Maker of Heaven and Earth and all people, cares about His creation. When He sees someone who is needy and weak, He sees sons and daughters. Our culture tends to play favorites. We live in a world full of popularity contests and power players. If we are to be holy, as God is holy, we are to be people who bring justice to the world by helping those in need. Who could you help? Where do you see injustice being done in the world around you?
“An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels. The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Proverbs 18:1, 10, 12, 21
Solomon was a king with a kingdom. He knew how people were jockeying for position and pursuing selfish ends. Everyone wants a favor from a king. He undoubtedly had a full inbox with requests to play favorites. Solomon wanted wisdom more than he wanted silver of gold. He desired sound judgment so that he could be who God made him to be. Solomon taught that if you want the favor of the king, then you should reflect the heart of a king. Think about life in family. Does a mother and father want anything more than to see children treat each other well and learn to live with the values of the family?
Solomon says there are seeds that you can plant that will harvest a life you do not want. He says selfish ambition, slanderous talk, and a spoiled heart all send a person down a shadowy path. Wisdom tells us that humility, living humbly and leaning on God, will lead to abundant life. It is hard to be holy if you are full of yourself. Humility empties self to make room for the presence of the Holy God. How could you make room for God's presence today by humbling your heart?
“What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave. The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness. Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance...Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”
Micah 7:1-4, 7, 9, 14-15, 18-19
Yesterday's verse with Micah six might be the most famous, but the truth he shares for today is equally impactful. Micah said he went searching for a holy harvest but all he found were wicked weeds. He could not find anyone around him who was living a holy life or becoming God's hands and feet to the world. The fruit we produce reflects the life we live. All of us can say we love God, but what we produce reveals the true state of our hearts.
Micah makes a critical decision. Even when the world around him is falling to pieces, he pursues holiness. He said I will watch in hope, wait for my Savior, and walk with a God who listens. Watching is an active approach. This is very different from sitting back and seeing what happens with what you have sown. Watching implies being attentive and actively pursuing the hope found in God.
Waiting might as be a swear word in our world. Nobody likes to wait anymore. You cannot go ten seconds without glancing at your phone when you are waiting. Micah says waiting is good. Waiting demonstrates trust and we were made to place our trust in our Savior. How could waiting help you grow your faith today?
Micah says walk with God. Walk and talk, knowing He hears you. One of the steps of growing in holiness is to be honest about where you are. God loves honesty as the bible says He is Spirit and Truth. What do you need to get off your chest and share with God as you walk with Him?
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
1 Peter 1:1-9, 13-16, 18-20, 22-25
Can you see how Peter directly connected hope to holiness? Why do you think that is? What is it about hope that moves us? We all need a reason to get out of bed in the morning or to muster the effort to make it through whatever we are facing. Peter says you have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ into an inheritance that will never perish nor fade.
What is this inheritance? The Holy Spirit. How much time do you spend focusing on, listening to, and pursuing the Holy Spirit? Like any relationship, you can grow by getting to know the Holy Spirit. Do you want to be Holy? Maybe the holiness you seek is already within you waiting to be unlocked by the Holy Spirit. The more that you make room in your life for God, the more He will fill you with His presence.
There are many things that want to fill our hearts. Peter calls out the evil desires or ignorance that comes from absorbing meaningless ways of the world. There is a process to unlearning all that we have learned that helps us become holy as God is holy. The process begins with humility and grows with by the grace, wisdom, and power of the Holy Spirit as we put into practice all that we learn. Peter says be holy in all you do.
The natural question might be how? How can I be holy in all I do? Peter brings us back to thinking about what Jesus would do. WWJD. What would Jesus do? Our lives our meant to reflect the life that reflected the Holy Father. On our own this is impossible. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do all things including being holy in all we do. Peter quotes the word saying be holy as God is holy. Jesus was the perfect model of our perfect Heavenly Father. When you chose to believe in Christ, an imperishable seed of living hope was planted in your hearts that will produce a righteous crop as you pursue the holy life you were made to live.